flat feet + pumps = bad combo HELP?? :(

Because I have no arch it hurts to wear high heels because of the high arch. Any suggestions for shoe supports, inserts, etc. ?

Wow I have the exact same problem. I wish I could help, but I'm still trying to figure out what to do myself. Sooo annoying because I love the way heels look, but my feet can't support them smh.

Exactly! Lol it's so annoying because they look so cute. I actually bought a pair of sneakers once and they had an arch so bad I couldn't even where them

Damn that's crazy. I'm usually good with sneakers. Only thing is I don't like to wear them unless I'm going to the gym. So for me it's flats, sandals, boots and no heels higher than 2 inches smh.

I do not think there is much you ladies can do or you will be nursing a stress fractured foot for the past 13 YEARS like me. Totally not worth. My plantar fasciitis flared up one weekend hen I work the cutest pumps ever (and they were not even tall). I re-fractured the stress fracture and had to wear a walking cast for 8 weeks. It still hurts and I think they are going to cast it for another 4 weeks.

i think some dr sholls inserts might do the trick or what about the platform heel ones i don't have flat feet so i raelly don't know just trying to help

DreamMerchant wrote:I do not think there is much you ladies can do or you will be nursing a stress fractured foot for the past 13 YEARS like me. Totally not worth. My plantar fasciitis flared up one weekend hen I work the cutest pumps ever (and they were not even tall). I re-fractured the stress fracture and had to wear a walking cast for 8 weeks. It still hurts and I think they are going to cast it for another 4 weeks.

I agree. Looking good in some heels is not worth the foot pain and discomfort that you'll be feeling in the future. I don't have flat feet, but I have low arches and can't really wear heels that are over 3-4 inches. I'm cool with that though. When I'm 50 I don't want to be limping around b/c I was trying to look cute in my 20s!

you can always try rolling your feet on soup cans. I know it sounds weird but the arch of the can and the mild pressure from you rolling can help create a small arch, Nothing perminant tho but can help (podiatrist trick). also you might want to consider seeing a podiatrist for personalized insoles to wear with your other shoes. flat feet can cause a plethora of problems including back, knee, shoulder pain and bad posture.

Maybe my feet aren't necessarily "flat" that's just always what I've heard them called but my arch definitely minimal. I was hoping to find some sort of "memory foam" insole to conform to my foot to help fill the space with my heels. Also, in general, shoes have always been difficult for me. Strappy shoes never work because i can't fill up the space between my foot and the straps smh lol.

By the way, I'm not trying to wear drastic shoes (like 6 in) just a cute 4-5, a standard high heel shoe.

Also, thanks for all the advice everyone and @DreamMerchant I'm sorry about your foot and the cast incident. I'm hoping it doesn't get to that point for me but i don't know.

DreamMerchant wrote:I do not think there is much you ladies can do or you will be nursing a stress fractured foot for the past 13 YEARS like me. Totally not worth. My plantar fasciitis flared up one weekend hen I work the cutest pumps ever (and they were not even tall). I re-fractured the stress fracture and had to wear a walking cast for 8 weeks. It still hurts and I think they are going to cast it for another 4 weeks.

this actually makes me feel sad lol. i have absolutely no arch in my foot, which causes my ankles to lean in a lot. i have to wear braces EVERYDAY and will need surgery in the future :/ i want to wear heels one day! lol

I'm sorry Karyn. If it helps, what a little arch I have doesn't make much of a difference. They're still painful :-/

Karyn wrote:

DreamMerchant wrote:I do not think there is much you ladies can do or you will be nursing a stress fractured foot for the past 13 YEARS like me. Totally not worth. My plantar fasciitis flared up one weekend hen I work the cutest pumps ever (and they were not even tall). I re-fractured the stress fracture and had to wear a walking cast for 8 weeks. It still hurts and I think they are going to cast it for another 4 weeks.

this actually makes me feel sad lol. i have absolutely no arch in my foot, which causes my ankles to lean in a lot. i have to wear braces EVERYDAY and will need surgery in the future :/ i want to wear heels one day! lol

I have flat feet too. Don't feel bad though. I have to wear orthotics. Custom made shoe inserts and they're $400 and upwards. Unfortunately I'm due for a new pair since my feet stopped growing seven years ago, lol. I can still wear heels, the just strappy open toed kind. I've been able to deal with because I've taken dance and marched in the band while I was in college. We did a lot of foot rolling and pointing of the toes. My dance teachers showed me how to balance the weight so that what little arch I have left isn't completely collapsed. Balance the weight on the outer part of the foot and evenly distribute your weight from there. If you take up ballet or something that forces you stretch your feet, it may improve or it will be less painful. I too may have to get surgery since this gets worse with age.

moosegrl_86 wrote:

Karyn wrote:

DreamMerchant wrote:I do not think there is much you ladies can do or you will be nursing a stress fractured foot for the past 13 YEARS like me. Totally not worth. My plantar fasciitis flared up one weekend hen I work the cutest pumps ever (and they were not even tall). I re-fractured the stress fracture and had to wear a walking cast for 8 weeks. It still hurts and I think they are going to cast it for another 4 weeks.

this actually makes me feel sad lol. i have absolutely no arch in my foot, which causes my ankles to lean in a lot. i have to wear braces EVERYDAY and will need surgery in the future :/ i want to wear heels one day! lol

I have flat feet too. Don't feel bad though. I have to wear orthotics. Custom made shoe inserts and they're $400 and upwards. Unfortunately I'm due for a new pair since my feet stopped growing seven years ago, lol. I can still wear heels, the just strappy open toed kind. I've been able to deal with because I've taken dance and marched in the band while I was in college. We did a lot of foot rolling and pointing of the toes. My dance teachers showed me how to balance the weight so that what little arch I have left isn't completely collapsed. Balance the weight on the outer part of the foot and evenly distribute your weight from there. If you take up ballet or something that forces you stretch your feet, it may improve or it will be less painful. I too may have to get surgery since this gets worse with age.

my podiatrist said that i should get orthotics, but my mom was like "400$+? " lol. plus, she said her friend has orthotics and she still has pain :/ so i'm not sure if i'll be getting them anytime soon. do yours work well? thanks for the tip about dance class!

Karyn wrote:

moosegrl_86 wrote:

Karyn wrote:

DreamMerchant wrote:I do not think there is much you ladies can do or you will be nursing a stress fractured foot for the past 13 YEARS like me. Totally not worth. My plantar fasciitis flared up one weekend hen I work the cutest pumps ever (and they were not even tall). I re-fractured the stress fracture and had to wear a walking cast for 8 weeks. It still hurts and I think they are going to cast it for another 4 weeks.

this actually makes me feel sad lol. i have absolutely no arch in my foot, which causes my ankles to lean in a lot. i have to wear braces EVERYDAY and will need surgery in the future :/ i want to wear heels one day! lol

I have flat feet too. Don't feel bad though. I have to wear orthotics. Custom made shoe inserts and they're $400 and upwards. Unfortunately I'm due for a new pair since my feet stopped growing seven years ago, lol. I can still wear heels, the just strappy open toed kind. I've been able to deal with because I've taken dance and marched in the band while I was in college. We did a lot of foot rolling and pointing of the toes. My dance teachers showed me how to balance the weight so that what little arch I have left isn't completely collapsed. Balance the weight on the outer part of the foot and evenly distribute your weight from there. If you take up ballet or something that forces you stretch your feet, it may improve or it will be less painful. I too may have to get surgery since this gets worse with age.

my podiatrist said that i should get orthotics, but my mom was like "400$+? " lol. plus, she said her friend has orthotics and she still has pain :/ so i'm not sure if i'll be getting them anytime soon. do yours work well? thanks for the tip about dance class!

Orthotics help so long as I'm wearing sneakers, shoes with shock absorption or a flexible heel. They do have different kinds depending on what activities you do. You can always go get a quote from a podiatrist or an orthopedist for the best price. The price really ends up depending on your insurance coverage. Mine ended up costing so much because my parents insurance doesn't cover it. I'm over 18 now so it was 50% coverage the first time. So they were about $250. Now that I'm older the insurance company considers it a preexisting condition. (no coverage) That's why they're so expensive for me. Also keep in mind, if you're not still growing these are a permanent pair so you would never have to repurchase them if you get them custom made.

moosegrl_86 wrote:

Karyn wrote:

DreamMerchant wrote:I do not think there is much you ladies can do or you will be nursing a stress fractured foot for the past 13 YEARS like me. Totally not worth. My plantar fasciitis flared up one weekend hen I work the cutest pumps ever (and they were not even tall). I re-fractured the stress fracture and had to wear a walking cast for 8 weeks. It still hurts and I think they are going to cast it for another 4 weeks.

this actually makes me feel sad lol. i have absolutely no arch in my foot, which causes my ankles to lean in a lot. i have to wear braces EVERYDAY and will need surgery in the future :/ i want to wear heels one day! lol

I have flat feet too. Don't feel bad though. I have to wear orthotics. Custom made shoe inserts and they're $400 and upwards. Unfortunately I'm due for a new pair since my feet stopped growing seven years ago, lol. I can still wear heels, the just strappy open toed kind. I've been able to deal with because I've taken dance and marched in the band while I was in college. We did a lot of foot rolling and pointing of the toes. My dance teachers showed me how to balance the weight so that what little arch I have left isn't completely collapsed. Balance the weight on the outer part of the foot and evenly distribute your weight from there. If you take up ballet or something that forces you stretch your feet, it may improve or it will be less painful. I too may have to get surgery since this gets worse with age.

I have been avoiding the operation but I give in. I have three different sets of custom made orthotics. I have the store bought orthotics. Since it happened while in the military, they still pay for the custom inserts but it is not working. Oh and the countless cortisone shots in the feet. I have 3 walking casts. Numerous crutches (some are going to a nearby nursing home). I never really wore heels so who knows. Just take care of those feet ladies no matter what!

i dont wear heels often but when I do I always put gel arches in them. They're awesome. they give me A LOT of support. I walk on the insides of my feet instead of the outsides, so to prevent plantar fasciitis (and foot pain) I decided to wear arches in my shoes 100% of the time. Even at home, I wear these $10 knockoff crocs as houseshoes and my arches never hurt anymore.

Anyways, I highly recommended these if you have to wear heels.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150399850463&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT

moosegrl_86 wrote:

Karyn wrote:

moosegrl_86 wrote:

Karyn wrote:

DreamMerchant wrote:I do not think there is much you ladies can do or you will be nursing a stress fractured foot for the past 13 YEARS like me. Totally not worth. My plantar fasciitis flared up one weekend hen I work the cutest pumps ever (and they were not even tall). I re-fractured the stress fracture and had to wear a walking cast for 8 weeks. It still hurts and I think they are going to cast it for another 4 weeks.

this actually makes me feel sad lol. i have absolutely no arch in my foot, which causes my ankles to lean in a lot. i have to wear braces EVERYDAY and will need surgery in the future :/ i want to wear heels one day! lol

I have flat feet too. Don't feel bad though. I have to wear orthotics. Custom made shoe inserts and they're $400 and upwards. Unfortunately I'm due for a new pair since my feet stopped growing seven years ago, lol. I can still wear heels, the just strappy open toed kind. I've been able to deal with because I've taken dance and marched in the band while I was in college. We did a lot of foot rolling and pointing of the toes. My dance teachers showed me how to balance the weight so that what little arch I have left isn't completely collapsed. Balance the weight on the outer part of the foot and evenly distribute your weight from there. If you take up ballet or something that forces you stretch your feet, it may improve or it will be less painful. I too may have to get surgery since this gets worse with age.

my podiatrist said that i should get orthotics, but my mom was like "400$+? " lol. plus, she said her friend has orthotics and she still has pain :/ so i'm not sure if i'll be getting them anytime soon. do yours work well? thanks for the tip about dance class!

Orthotics help so long as I'm wearing sneakers, shoes with shock absorption or a flexible heel. They do have different kinds depending on what activities you do. You can always go get a quote from a podiatrist or an orthopedist for the best price. The price really ends up depending on your insurance coverage. Mine ended up costing so much because my parents insurance doesn't cover it. I'm over 18 now so it was 50% coverage the first time. So they were about $250. Now that I'm older the insurance company considers it a preexisting condition. (no coverage) That's why they're so expensive for me. Also keep in mind, if you're not still growing these are a permanent pair so you would never have to repurchase them if you get them custom made.

yeah, my moms insurance doesn't cover it, so that's why it's so expensive for me :/ eventually, i'm sure i'll get them though because i will need them and i'm finished growing. i still need to get good sneakers i'm awful cause i live in converse and keds. blah. it sucks.

DreamMerchant wrote:

moosegrl_86 wrote:

Karyn wrote:

DreamMerchant wrote:I do not think there is much you ladies can do or you will be nursing a stress fractured foot for the past 13 YEARS like me. Totally not worth. My plantar fasciitis flared up one weekend hen I work the cutest pumps ever (and they were not even tall). I re-fractured the stress fracture and had to wear a walking cast for 8 weeks. It still hurts and I think they are going to cast it for another 4 weeks.

this actually makes me feel sad lol. i have absolutely no arch in my foot, which causes my ankles to lean in a lot. i have to wear braces EVERYDAY and will need surgery in the future :/ i want to wear heels one day! lol

I have flat feet too. Don't feel bad though. I have to wear orthotics. Custom made shoe inserts and they're $400 and upwards. Unfortunately I'm due for a new pair since my feet stopped growing seven years ago, lol. I can still wear heels, the just strappy open toed kind. I've been able to deal with because I've taken dance and marched in the band while I was in college. We did a lot of foot rolling and pointing of the toes. My dance teachers showed me how to balance the weight so that what little arch I have left isn't completely collapsed. Balance the weight on the outer part of the foot and evenly distribute your weight from there. If you take up ballet or something that forces you stretch your feet, it may improve or it will be less painful. I too may have to get surgery since this gets worse with age.

I have been avoiding the operation but I give in. I have three different sets of custom made orthotics. I have the store bought orthotics. Since it happened while in the military, they still pay for the custom inserts but it is not working. Oh and the countless cortisone shots in the feet. I have 3 walking casts. Numerous crutches (some are going to a nearby nursing home). I never really wore heels so who knows. Just take care of those feet ladies no matter what!

yeah my podiatrist mentioned that if my pain got worse, i would get cortisone shots and then eventually i will need the surgery. good luck with the surgery though

One word: PLATFORMS.

If you wear a pair of shoes with a 4 inch heal and a 2 inch platform, the heal size is cut down to 2 inches...They are a dream for us flat-footed gals.

We all gonna be crippled and crazy walking on these stilts that MEN created! But they are so cute

resign yourself to the fact that you must wearVERY cute flats, or shoes with a low heel. TRUST ME. Wherever you go in heels, will be no fun. You will be in excruciating pain and it wont be worth it.
Lucky for me, Im tall, so the heel issue isnt that much of an issue, but still.........
better to be safe than sorry.
One brand of shoe that makes "semi cute" heels that are pretty comfy is "sofft" ( i think its spelled with 2 f's) but i find them to be a bit pricey

@JazmineB thanks for the tip and i just saw dr. scholl's has come out with gel arch supports.

By the way, thanks for the can trick everybody, I'll definitely try that.

Oh and thanks @MelMelBee lol